‘RHONJ’ Felon Joe Giudice Says He Shouldn’t Have Been Deported: Lived in the US ‘Since I Was a Year Old’

Joe Giudice thinks the punishment for his crimes might have been a little too harsh in the grand scheme of things.

In 2014, Giudice, 53, was convicted of several federal fraud-related charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud and failing to file income tax returns.

The former Real Housewives of New Jersey star was then deported to his native country, Italy, in 2019 after spending more than three years in a federal prison and seven months in an ICE detention center.

Giudice believes the punishment was too harsh, according to Page Six.

“I was [in the U.S.] since I was a year old. I have four kids there. I was married. Got my whole family there,” Giudice told the outlet in an interview published on Thursday, April 30. “I mean, it was my fault that I got deported because I should have just became [sic] a citizen a long time ago, so I’m not blaming anybody. You know, it was my fault. I had a chance to become a citizen many, many times.”

He thinks if he had been a naturalized American, he would have only been hit with “a little misdemeanor” that resulted in “13 months … 14 months” behind bars. The former reality star claims that because he wasn’t a citizen, he “had to do all that extra time and go through all that.”

Giudice moved to Nassau, Bahamas, in 2021 in an effort to get closer to his daughters – Gia, 25, Gabriella, 21, Milania, 20, and Audriana, 16 – whom he shares with ex-wife Teresa Giudice. The girls often travel there to spend time with him, and he told Page Six he was happy in the Caribbean.

“I don’t wanna live [in the US]. I really don’t wanna live there. All I wanna do is be able to go to my daughters’ graduations,” Giudice explained. “You know, when we have Easter, we have Christmas, holidays. Because it’s a lot for my family, for everybody, to come here.”

Even though the former New Jersey resident has previously appealed his deportation numerous times, Giudice thinks “somebody in there has it out for [him].”

He was also surprised that his run on RHONJ somehow didn’t work in his favor when it came to his appeals.

“It’s crazy because then you see Mrs. [Michelle] Obama talking about [how her] favorite Housewife is Teresa,” Giudice told the outlet, adding that he had no plans to file for another appeal at this time.